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Notes on the Relationship Between and Satan in the

The general principle in the relationship of Jesus with Satan in the gospels is that for each divine action, establishing some aspect of the order of , Satan poses an opposite reaction that attempts to negate it and mock it. The element of murder is always present, even if indirectly. Five incidents in the gospels help to illustrate this general principle in action:

1. The Birth of and the Slaughter of the Holy Innocents (cf. Lk. 1-3; Mt. 1-2) # Order of Redemption Satanic Counterpose 1 Annunciation to Mary Informing of Herod 2 Dream warning to escape Herod’s invitation to return 3 Birth of Jesus Slaughter of the innocents

2. The of Jesus and the Temptations in the Desert (cf. Mt. 4.1-11; Lk. 4.1-3) # Order of Redemption Satanic Counterpose 1 of Sonship to adore Satan 2 Revelation of mission Temptation to suicide 3 Spirit-driven preparation Temptation against fasting

3. The Transfiguration on Mt. Tabor and the of the Boy (cf. Lk. 9.37-42; Mt. 17.14-23) # Order of Redemption Satanic Counterpose 1 Affirmation of the Father Helplessness of the father 2 Start of Messianic times in the world 3 Son must suffer and die Son is subject to Satan’s power

4. The Confession and Denial of Peter at Caesaria Philippi (cf. Mt. 16.13-20) # Order of Redemption Satanic Counterpose 1 Confession of Peter Peter’s denial of Jesus’ mission to die 2 Jesus’ declaration Peter’s abandonment of office 3 Peter named as “Cephas” Peter rebuked as “Satanas”

5. The Last Supper and the Agony in the Garden (cf. L. 22.32 and Lk. 22.39-46) # Order of Redemption Satanic Counterpose 1 Apostles as bishops Apostles as fear-filled cowards 2 Judas, Peter as office holders Judas and Peter as traitors in the killing of Jesus 3 Jesus delays drinking until his Jesus ponders not drinking

6. Jesus on the Beach with Peter (cf. Jn. 21.4-23) # Order of Redemption Satanic Counterpose

1 1 Peter entrusted with mission Peter possessed with anger and betrayal

NEW TESTAMENT TEXTS REGARDING EXORCISM, AND GHOSTS (USCCB)

1. MATT. 14.22-33

The Walking on the Water.*22h Then he made the disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.23i After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone.24Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.25During the fourth watch of the night,* he came toward them, walking on the sea.26When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. “It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear.27At once [Jesus] spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I;* do not be afraid.”28Peter said to him in reply, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”29He said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.30j But when he saw how [strong] the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”31Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith,* why did you doubt?”32After they got into the boat, the wind died down.33* k Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, “Truly, you are the Son of .”

2. MATT. 15. 21-28

The Canaanite Woman’s Faith.*21i Then Jesus went from that place and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.22And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of ! My daughter is tormented by a .”23But he did not say a word in answer to her. His disciples came and asked him, “Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.”24* He said in reply, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of .”25j But the woman came and did him homage, saying, “Lord, help me.”26He said in reply, “It is not right to take the food of the children* and throw it to the dogs.”27She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.”28k Then Jesus said to

2 her in reply, “O woman, great is your faith!* Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.

3. ACTS 16.16-29

Imprisonment at Philippi.16As were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl with an oracular spirit,* who used to bring a large profit to her owners through her fortune-telling.17She began to follow Paul and us, shouting, “These people are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.”18She did this for many days. Paul became annoyed, turned, and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” Then it came out at that moment. 19When her owners saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and and dragged them to the public square before the local authorities.20They brought them before the magistrates* and said, “These people are and are disturbing our city21and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us Romans to adopt or practice.”22c The crowd joined in the attack on them, and the magistrates had them stripped and ordered them to be beaten with rods.23After inflicting many blows on them, they threw them into prison and instructed the jailer to guard them securely.24When he received these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and secured their feet to a stake.

* [16:16] With an oracular spirit: literally, “with a Python spirit.” The Python was the or dragon that guarded the Delphic oracle. It later came to designate a “spirit that pronounced oracles” and also a ventriloquist who, it was thought, had such a spirit in the belly.

4. ACTS 19.13-10

The Jewish Exorcists.13Then some itinerant Jewish exorcists tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those with spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.”14When the seven sons of , a Jewish high , tried to do this,15the evil spirit said to them in reply, “Jesus I recognize, Paul I know, but who are you?”16The person with the evil spirit then sprang at them and subdued them all. He so overpowered them that they fled naked and wounded from that house.17When this became known to all the Jews and Greeks who lived in Ephesus, fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in great esteem.18Many of those who had become believers came forward and openly acknowledged their former practices.19Moreover, a

3 large number of those who had practiced magic collected their books and burned them in public. They calculated their value and found it to be fifty thousand silver pieces.20Thus did the word of the Lord continue to spread with influence and power. 5. ACTS 8.9-25

Simon the Magician.9A man named Simon used to practice magic* in the city and astounded the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great.10All of them, from the least to the greatest, paid attention to him, saying, “This man is the ‘Power of God’ that is called ‘Great.’”11They paid attention to him because he had astounded them by his magic for a long time,12but once they began to believe Philip as he preached the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, men and women alike were baptized.f13Even Simon himself believed and, after being baptized, became devoted to Philip; and when he saw the signs and mighty deeds that were occurring, he was astounded. 14Now when the apostles in heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent them Peter and John,15who went down and prayed for them, that they might receive the ,16for it had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.*17Then they laid hands on them and they received the holy Spirit.g 18* When Simon saw that the Spirit was conferred by the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money19and said, “Give me this power too, so that anyone upon whom I lay my hands may receive the holy Spirit.”20But Peter said to him, “May your money perish with you, because you thought that you could buy the gift of God with money.21You have no share or in this matter, for your heart is not upright before God.22Repent of this wickedness of yours and pray to the Lord that, if possible, your intention may be forgiven.23For I see that you are filled with bitter gall and are in the bonds of iniquity.”24Simon said in reply, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”25So when they had testified and proclaimed the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem and preached the good news to many Samaritan villages.*

6.

The Woman and the Dragon.1* A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman* clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.a2She was with child and wailed aloud in

4 pain as she labored to give birth.*3Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge dragon,* with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems.b4Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth.c5She gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod.* Her child was caught up to God and his throne.d6The woman herself fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God, that there she might be taken care of for twelve hundred and sixty days.* 7* Then war broke out in ; * and his battled against the dragon. The dragon and its angels fought back,8but they did not prevail and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.9The huge dragon, the ancient serpent,* who is called the and Satan, who deceived the whole world, was thrown down to earth, and its angels were thrown down with it.e10Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:

“Now have salvation and power come, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed. For the accuser* of our brothers is cast out, who accuses them before our God day and night. 11They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; love for life did not deter them from death. 12Therefore, rejoice, you , and you who dwell in them.

But woe to you, earth and sea, for has come down to you in great fury, for he knows he has but a short time.” 13When the dragon saw that it had been thrown down to the earth, it pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.f14But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle,* so that she could fly to her place in the desert, where, far from the serpent, she was taken care of

5 for a year, two years, and a half-year.g15The serpent,* however, spewed a torrent of water out of his mouth after the woman to sweep her away with the current.16But the earth helped the woman and opened its mouth and swallowed that the dragon spewed out of its mouth.17Then the dragon became angry with the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring, those who keep God’s commandments and bear witness to Jesus.*18It took its position* on the sand of the sea.h

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